Friday, May 25. 2012

Even your most advanced toaster won't ask that much of you these
days. No matter what you're browning, it all boils down to lowering that
lever and knowing that something is about to get toasty.

So, how do you make a complex piece of technology such as a 3D
printer easy enough for everyone to use, like a toaster? Well, to start,
you focus around a one-button design. There are 3D printers on the way
that want you to be able to start fabricating cool stuff just like that — just with one button. For the most part, it really can be that easy.

Here we preview 3D System's forthcoming Cube 3D printer, which is
looking toward a nearer-than-you-think future where 3D fabrication is
commonplace and something anyone can do.

Photo Credit: Kevin Hall/DVICE

With One Press Of This Button

If there really is a 3D printing at home revolution waiting to
happen, then 3D printers need to sort out two big barriers to entry: 1)
the steep learning curve one must overcome to use the technology and 2)
the capability of easily providing people with useful stuff to print.

While there are a number of options available
and on the way, the trailblazer for 3D printing at home was Makerbot's
Thing-O-Matic, followed up by the group's more versatile Replicator.
The Thing-O-Matic epitomizes the 3D printer as geared toward hobbyists:
it's industrial looking, requires technical know-how to get started and
— though you could buy them fully assembled — the Thing-O-Matic was
designed to be put together by someone who can solder. With the
Replicator, Makerbot hasn't left its hobbyists behind, offering a bigger
build space and two-color printing, but the platform now comes fully
assembled and tested, and Makerbot's robust and growing Thingiverse makes finding designs to print easy and free.

That same thinking — making 3D printing easier out of the box — is
shared by 3D Systems but taken along a little farther with the Cube. The
Cube comes in a box like any old gadget on a shelf. It also doesn't
look industrial and tinkery like other 3D printers, appearing a lot more
like a desktop PC or a sewing machine. Where the Replicator would be at
home in your workshop or garage, the Cube can sit on a kitchen counter
next to your toaster. The Cube also connects to your home network via
Wi-Fi, meaning you can use your PC to push new designs over to it,
although you don't need a PC to get it to work.

The Cube has a build space that's 5.5-inches all around (length,
width and height), which makes it perfect for action figures, cups,
jewelry and anything small. Larger objects can also be made, you just
need to print them out in smaller pieces and put them together. The Cube
will come paired with different apps and software to help you design
specific objects. For instance, one app we saw was like Build-A-Bear, but you were putting together your own robot instead.

In our video below, 3D Systems Social Media Manager Adam Reichental
walks us through just how easy it is to fire the Cube up.

Screencap: Cubify.com

If Apple's App Store Sold 3D Objects

The real difference between the Cube and its hobbyist competitors is
how you discover objects to print. For 3D printing enthusiasts,
Thingiverse represents the easiest go-to. Outside of Thingiverse and
Google-fishing for objects, you're really only left with the option of
making your own designs.

3D System's solution? Cubify, a Thingiverse-like site with some crucial differences.

Whereas objects on Thingiverse are free, on Cubify they aren't. Think
of Cubify as the Apple App Store of the 3D printing world — it's
curated. Designs uploaded to the site are checked out individually
before they're approved, and any obscene or copyright infringing
templates won't get through. This also allows 3D Systems to test the
designs and make sure they're ready to print with the Cube, taking out
some of the guesswork on your end.

You buy the 3D models you want to print, which range from a few bucks to this $155 oil rig design,
which is the most expensive model we could find. Cubify also lets folks
who don't own 3D printers buy objects, and 3D Systems will print it out
for them and mail it over. That service also starts out cheap, and goes
all the way up to this $8,799 table,
which would take quite a while to print out in small chunks using the
Cube; 3D Systems also operates an industrial printing arm for heavier
duty print jobs. One upside to charging for 3D objects: you support the
designers. Like app makers, 3D modelers will get a cut of the cash for
objects sold.

Using the Cube doesn't mean you have to use Cubify, however. Any
printable 3D model that conforms to the Cube's build area should work.
That said, paired up with Cubify, the Cube promises an experience that
is as easy as browsing for a design on your computer, sending it to the
Cube via Wi-Fi and then printing that object out with the touch of a
button.

How To Get One

The 3D Systems Cube 3D printer is available for a $1,299 pre-order now and starts shipping this Friday, May 25.

Thursday, January 12. 2012

Many of us have been waiting for the moment when 3D printers
would not only be offered ready-to-use without the need of DIY
assembly, but at a price comparable to a common computer. Well get
excited, because that day has arrived.

Created by 3D Systems, the Cube
will retail for just $1,299 and is connected to a community of 3D
designers where you can find inspiration, or upload your own designs and
sell them in the Cubify marketplace. Admittedly, the MakerBot Replicator
is only a tad more expensive at $1,749, but just like the early
versions of the home Windows PC versus the Mac, the Cube wins on style
points for those who prefer a less industrial look and feel to their 3D
printer.

You can order the Cube 3D printer here and check out the design to fabrication process in the video below.

Wednesday, September 28. 2011

Robot Santa's going to be busy this year. With all theshiny new gadgetshe needs to deliver, his elves will have it hard. You want one toy? Pfft. What you want is a whole elf workshop of your own — a place that pumps out unlimited amounts of toys — or at least, something similar. That's a3D printer.

The ultimate present this year is a 3D printer — a machine thatmakes, err, "prints" toys. Who needs to keep asking for gifts from people, when you can print some new ones whenever you want to?

Why did she use rapid prototyping? According to Marloes, this is because; "rapid
prototyping – adding material in layers – rather than traditional shoe
manufacturing methods – could help me create something entirely new
within just a few hours."

And why Objet? Again, in her words; "Objet Connex printers make
it possible to print an entire shoe – albeit a concept shoe – including a
hard heel and a flexible upper in one build, which just isn't possible with other 3D printing technologies."

The Objet Connex multi-material 3D printer allows the simulatneous printing of both rigid and rubber-like material grades and shades within a single prototype, which is why it's used by many of the world's largest shoe manufacturers.
And of course, because it's 3D printing and not traditional
manufacturing methods, there are no expensive set-up costs and no
minimum quantities to worry about!

This particular shoe design is based on a modular concept – with an
interchangeable heel to allow for specific customizations as well
as easy repairs (see the bottom photo which shows the heel detatched).

The 3D printed modular shoe will be available for viewing at the Power of Making exhibition – starting today at the world-famous Victoria and Albert Museum in London. If you are anywhere near the UK this is worth a visit.

If you can't make it right at this moment, don't worry – the shoe and the exhibit will remain there until January 2nd.

The Power of Making exhibition is created in collaboration with the
Crafts Council. Curator Daniel Charney's aim is to encourage visitors to
consider the process of making, not just the final results. For this
the 3D printing process is particularly salient.

Monday, August 01. 2011

English engineers have produced what is believed to be the world's
first printed plane. I'm not talking a nice artsy lithograph of the
Wright Bros. first flight. This is a complete, flyable aircraft spit out
of a 3D printer.

The SULSA began life in something like an inkjet and wound up in the air. (Credit:
University of Southhampton)

The SULSA (Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft) is an
unmanned air vehicle that emerged, layer by layer, from a nylon laser
sintering machine that can fabricate plastic or metal objects. In the
case of the SULSA, the wings, access hatches, and the rest of the
structure of the plane were all printed.

As if that weren't awesome enough, the entire thing snaps together in
minutes, no tools or fasteners required. The electric plane has a
wingspan of just under 7 feet and a top speed of 100 mph.

Jim Scanlon, one of the project leads at the University of Southhampton, explains in a statement that the technology allows for products to go from conception to reality much quicker and more cheaply.

"The flexibility of the laser-sintering process allows the design
team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been
prohibitively expensive using conventional manufacturing," Scanlon says.
"One of these ideas involves the use of a Geodetic structure... This
form of structure is very stiff and lightweight, but very complex. If it
was manufactured conventionally it would require a large number of
individually tailored parts that would have to be bonded or fastened at
great expense."

So apparently when it comes to 3D printing, the sky is no longer the
limit. Let's just make sure someone double-checks the toner levels
before we start printing the next international space station.